West Seattle, Washington
10 Saturday
West Seattle High School‘s softball team is headed to the district tournament after finishing the Metro League tournament in sixth place. That’s where the Wildcats wound up after a win and a loss at Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex on Friday, beating Seattle Prep 14-7 in the afternoon, then losing 6-5 to Holy Names in the evening. Their first district game will also be at NCSWAC (2801 SW Thistle), 4 pm Monday (May 12). … Also Friday night at NCSWAC, WSHS baseball scored a win, 1-0 over Bishop Blanchet. Their next Metro tournament game is 4 pm Monday at Steve Cox Memorial Park in White Center (1321 SW 102nd), vs. Eastside Catholic. … And Steve Cox is where the Chief Sealth International High School baseball team plays Sultan at 10 am today in the 2A district semifinals.
You might find a true treasure at a tiny sale on West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day tomorrow (Saturday, May 10, 9 am-3 pm, map here, printable list here). But just in case your shopping time is short – here are most of the big sales (you’ll also find some “block sales” in the guide, in addition to the following):
#1 – White Center Eagles
#27 – annual lung-cancer-fighting plant sale
#44 – EOS Apartments
#61 – C & P Coffee Craft Fair
#70 – The Kenney
#82 – another annual tradition, Delta Kappa Gamma
#86 – Hazelwood Preschool
#96 – Fauntleroy Schoolhouse/Children’s Center
#115 – Maarten Park
#170 – Our Lady of Guadalupe (which sent the pic above with some of what’ll be in the gym)
#180 – Cub Scout Pack 799 at VFW Hall
#253 – Brownie Troop 41268 with 19 families participating
#302 – annual Art Glass sale
#314 – Admiral Church
#333 – Tilden School north of The Junction, offering a “rest stop” for shoppers who need a break
#355 – Hotwire Coffeehouse courtyard
#514 – Wanderlust Nursery
#530 – Community School of West Seattle
#545 – Combat Arts Academy (also offering face-painting and an obstacle course for kids)
Find the location and description of any of those sales (or any others) by clicking on their line on the list at the right side of the map page. You can also click on any map marker to open its infobubble with address and description. We’ll of course be publishing as-it-happens coverage starting right at 9 am. Before you start the day – whether selling or shopping – check the map page for updates such as the list of last-minute cancellations and links to all the lists we’ve published. And let us know if you encounter any great discoveries! westseattleblog@gmail.com (be sure to include the sale #) or text 206-293=6302. We wish everyone successful selling and shopping!
Thanks to Chief Sealth International High School athletic director Ernest Policarpio for the report and photo:
Congratulations to the Chief Sealth 2025 Washington Athletic Club /101 Club award winners:
Winners were Micah Policarpio, Jay Johnson, and Xavier Nguyen; Riley Yup, Hannah Mueller, and Allison Ohta
The WAC & 101 Club Awards honor 3 boys and 3 girls from each school who have athletic & academic achievements.
Earlier, Kersti Muul told us, a humpback whale was hanging out off Pier 70 on the north downtown waterfront. Now “a baleen whale” – possibly that humpback – is reported off Anchor/Luna Park in West Seattle. Let us know if you see it!
Police are just now being dispatched to a crash scene in the 6700 block of West Marginal, though it happened more than an hour ago. A driver hit and knocked down a tree, according to dispatch and a tip we received. Dispatch tells officers that the driver’s parent picked them up and took them to an emergency room; the car is still there, though police are now calling for a tow.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
In a White Center warehouse full of baby and kid gear from diapers to car seats, two elected officials and others gathered this morning to decry the president’s tariffs as “Trump’s Baby Tax.”
WestSide Baby‘s warehouse hub was the setting for U.S. Senator Patty Murray and King County Executive Shannon Braddock (a former WS Baby board member) to warn about the bite tariffs will take out of young families’ budgets, among others.
“The baby tax is not just expensive, it’s dangerous,” warned Sen. Murray, first elected 33 years ago as a “mom in tennis shoes” (and sporting that type of footwear for the occasion, as was Braddock).
She urged anyone and everyone concerned to urge Congress to take back its power over tariffs, which she said are not supposed to be something presidentially decreed.
Braddock noted the recent presidential comment that tariff costs might just mean a kid gets “2 dolls instead of 30,” and observed that many families can’t afford any gifts. “Working families should not be collateral damage in a trade war … we need a federal government that works for us, not against us.” Here’s the entirety of how she and Sen. Murray opened the briefing:
Allie Lindsay Johnson, starting her second year as WS Baby’s executive director, said the nonprofit that assists tens of thousands of families has already noticed many baby-item brands raising their prices. But “car seats, strollers, cribs are not luxuries, they are absolute necessities.”
But, Sen. Murray observed in her opening remarks, most of them are made in China, currently facing a 145% tariff as ordered by the president. Lindsay Johnson suggested at least “tariff exemptions” should be considered for items like these.
Speakers also included a Ballard store owner who said her suppliers were trying to hold off major prices as long as they could but can’t hold off much longer, and a mom of four, ages 1 through 14, holding her youngest, saying she wanted to speak out “because if not me, who?”
In Q&A, we asked Lindsay Johnson for more specifics on what WestSide Baby has noticed so far. She named several manufacturers/suppliers. We and another reporter also asked Sen. Murray for specifics on what Congress could do and what people could do to express their opinions:
Afterward, we also asked Lindsay Johnson about any other financial hardships they had faced or expected to face as a result of changes in D.C. She said that half of WS Baby’s bulk diaper purchases are federally funded and the grant covering that for a few more months is not likely to be renewed.
Meantime, this is the bipartisan bill to which Sen. Murray referred, co-sponsored by Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa.
Looking for plants? West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day (tomorrow – Saturday, May 10, 9 am-3 pm) has sales for you!
That’s the photo sent to us by Sale 386, one of 28 sales mentioning plants, along with 15, 27, 43, 51, 62, 72, 76, 87, 101, 120, 186, 213, 369, 384, 387, 406, 407, 408, 464, 500, 514, 527, 538, 552, 566, 571, 572. Or if you need something for your plant(s) to grow in …
Those cedar planters are part of a woodworker’s sale, #144. Two other sales promise planters – 256 and 572. Whatever you’re seeking, somebody probably is selling it – amid the stuff (24 sale descriptions use that word), knickknacks (10 sales), tchotchkes (2 sales), bric-a-brac (1 sale), or “junk” (6 sales). Explore the map here (where you’ll also find the link to the printable list/guide).
One more note – if you’re selling kid/baby stuff (dozens are!) and have any leftovers, WestSide Baby tells us today they’ll have donation bins outside for dropoffs – their HQ is a big warehouse-type property at 10002 14th SW in nearby White Center. (Any other nonprofits interested in donations of unsold items, let us know so we can mention that!)
Still more previewing to do – and you can scroll through our past previews and other pre-sale coverage by going here. WSCGSD has been a tradition on the second Saturday in May since 2005 – coordinated by WSB since 2008.
(WSB photo, April 23)
When we covered SDOT‘s South Delridge/Westwood walking tour last month, looking at routes where the Transportation Levy might fund new sidewalks/walkways, a plan was mentioned for a May 21 walking tour in Highland Park. Now SDOT has asked us to share the official announcement:
Building Sidewalk and Walkway Connections
Want to see new safe places to walk in the Highland Park neighborhood? Thanks to the Seattle Transportation Levy we can build at least 10 blocks of new sidewalk or walkway in Highland Park. Please join us for a neighborhood walk and share with us where you would like to see new walkways and/or sidewalks.
Date: Wednesday May 21st, 2025
Time: 5:00-6:30 pm
Location: Gather at Highland Park Elementary (1012 SW Trenton St) in the covered area of the playground, and then walk the neighborhood with us!
Kids are welcome!
Rain or Shine
Here’s the announcement flyer.
(White azaleas, photographed by Gary Pro)
Here’s our Friday highlights list, mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
EARLY SALES: West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day is TOMORROW, but a few sales are starting today (use these numbers to look up locations and descriptions on the map/list), including Sales 26, 43, 66, 136, 375, 395, 458, 486.
STAY ‘N’ PLAY: 10 am-11:30 am open gym for little kids is back at Arbor Heights Community Church (4113 SW 102nd).
SOUTH SEATTLE COLLEGE GARDEN CENTER: The center (a WSB sponsor) is open Thursdays-Saturdays 10 am-3 pm, north end of the South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor) campus.
BABY STORY TIME: Noon at Delridge Library, free! (5423 Delridge Way SW)
QI GONG AT VIVA ARTS: Fridays at 12:15 pm – info in our calendar listing. (4421 Fauntleroy Way SW)
SOFTBALL: Postseason game for West Seattle HS vs. Seattle Prep, 1:30 pm at Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex (2801 SW Thistle).
WEST SEATTLE INDIVISIBLE POSTCARD WRITING: 1:30-4 pm at High Point Library (3411 SW Raymond).
SEATTLE BEER WEEK – FREE FRIES! 4-9 pm at Ounces (3809 Delridge Way SW), free fries with an SBW beer purchase.
KENYON HALL CABARET: Monthly drag show at Kenyon Hall (7904 35th SW), all ages, doors at 6, show at 6:30, tickets here.
SONGWRITERS AT THE COFFEEHOUSE: 6-8 pm, enjoy the monthly Songwriters’ Showcase at C & P Coffee (5612 California SW). Free, all ages.
WEST SEATTLE SOCIAL GUILD: Happy 2nd anniversary! The group celebrates at 6 pm at Viscon Cellars (5910 California SW; WSB sponsor). Check the link in our calendar listing to see if tickets are still available.
SIP ‘N’ SPIN: Spend your evening at Rain City Clay in Arbor Heights! 6 pm start; see if there’s room.(4208 SW 100th)
WATER POLO: The West Seattle girls play their first home contest tonight at 6:20 pm at Colman Pool vs. Bellevue, spectators welcome.
RAINBOW GIRLS: Girls 10-20 are invited to join the group for a Mother’s Day scrapbooking and collage activity, 6:30 pm at Alki Masonic Center (40th/Edmunds), details in our calendar listing.
BASEBALL: 7 pm, West Seattle HS vs. Bishop Blanchet in a postseason game at Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex (2801 SW Thistle).
LIVE AT THE SKYLARK: Abbigale, Evan Wallace and the Death and Texas Band, doors 7 pm, show 8, at The Skylark, $10. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
REVELRY ROOM DJ: 9 pm, DJ Jules Esq. tonight! (4547 California SW)
MAKE IT LOUD: Skating to live music at Southgate Roller Rink (9646 17th SW), doors at 9 pm, $18 cover, $5 skates, 21+. Tonight: Dual Analog, Prismia.
If you have something to showcase on our event lists or calendar, please email what/when/where/etc. info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Just another quick reminder that the 20th-anniversary West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day is now 24 hours away – official sale hours are 9 am-3 pm Saturday (May 10), and the sales are mapped/described here, where you’ll also find a link to the printable (PDF) list. You can use the search function explained below the online map to create your own mini-list(s) of whatever type of item you’re looking for; since the descriptions are fairly short, searching works best with just one keyword, like toys.
One tradition on Community Garage Sale Day is the lemonade stand, often operated by the youngest members of the household. Lemonade is mentioned by Sales 5, 19, 62, 64, 88, 107, 112, 115, 162, 173, 183, 221, 241, 253, 314, 336, 348, 410, 427, 446, 475, 502, 563. And Sale 521 is promising matcha beverages.
If you just can’t wait to start shopping, a few of the 560+ sales are starting today – search the map for mentions of Friday or Fri. More previews later today!
6:00 AM: Good morning! Welcome to Friday, May 9, 2025.
WEATHER + SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES
Partly sunny, high in the low 60s. Today’s sunrise was at 5:39 am; sunset will be at 8:33 pm.
WEEKEND NOTE
-560+ sales big and small in all of West Seattle’s neighborhoods Saturday for West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day.
STADIUM ZONE
–Mariners are back home starting tonight, 6:40 pm game vs. Toronto.
ROAD WORK
-Street work for the Alki Standby Generator Project is under way – details and map here, along with what’s next after this first phase.
-The Admiral Way Bridge’s outside lane on the eastbound/southbound side is still closed; here’s a project update.
TRANSIT TODAY
Water Taxi – Regular West Seattle service; spring/summer schedule, with later-evening sailings Fridays (tonight!) and Saturdays.
Metro buses – Regular schedule.
Washington State Ferries – Regular service on the Triangle Route, with M/V Kittitas and M/V Cathlamet, plus M/V Salish is serving as the “bonus boat”. P.S. Next round of community meetings – online, systemwide – have been announced for later this month.
SPOTLIGHT TRAFFIC CAMERAS
High Bridge – Here’s the main camera, followed by the Fauntleroy-end camera:
Spokane Street Viaduct:
Low Bridge – Looking west:
1st Avenue South Bridge:
Delridge cameras: In addition to the one below (Delridge/Genesee), cameras are also at Delridge/Juneau, Delridge/Henderson, Delridge/Oregon, and video-only (so you have to go to the map), Delridge/Holden and Delridge/Thistle.
MORE TRAFFIC CAMS: All functioning traffic cams citywide are here (including links to live video for most); for a quick scan of West Seattle and vicinity-relevant cameras, see this WSB page.
See a problem on the bridges/streets/paths/water? Please text or call our hotline (when you can do it safely, and after you’ve reported to authorities if they’re not already on scene) – 206-293-6302. Thank you!
Photos by Oliver Hamlin for WSB
On Saturday, Colman Pool on the Lincoln Park shore officially opens for the year, and one last work party today got it ready. Photojournalist Oliver Hamlin was there for WSB. Above, lifeguards Rommel D (left) and Patrick K dismantle an old lane line before discarding it in a dumpster outside the pool. This year Colman Pool has new lane lines and reels thanks to a donation from the Greater Seattle Swimming Association. You can see them in the next photo, behind Aquatic Technical Supervisor Robert Danielson preparing the diving board:
Lifeguard Patrick K tested out the diving board after installation:
Another kind of board was also addressed today – the protective wooden boards were removed from the Plexiglas around the pool (we showed you a reader photo of the work in progress earlier).
Other work was done inside. Below, Aquatic Center Coordinator Wendy Van De Sompele points toward the filtration system in the Colman Pool pump room. The pump room contains a mix of newer and original pipes from the 1940s.
These are the wells that bring Puget Sound water into Colman Pool, visible during low tide today. The pool can only be filled during high tide, meaning sometimes work must get done in the middle of the night.
Colman Pool celebrated its milestone 75th anniversary nine years ago. This year, as we first reported last month, it’ll be open for “preseason weekends” through mid-June, then seven days a week (except for swim-meet closures June 26-28 and July 18-19) through September 1, and two “postseason weekends” after that. For those who have asked about the slide, it’s only open during private events; they’re keeping it out of service the rest of the time, Van De Sompele told us, because it gets in the way of lap swimming and creates staffing challenges, and the diving board is considered a more accessible feature to keep open.
See the pool schedule here; plus, you can get a sneak peek at the pool during Friday night’s West Seattle Water Polo matches starting at 6:20 pm.
If you play pickleball, the West Seattle Booster Club has an invitation for you!
Who will be crowned the pickleball champions of WSHS?
We are excited to invite you to participate in the WS Booster Club’s inaugural Paddle Battle Pickleball Tournament, benefiting student-athletes at WSHS. Please sign up and bring your family, neighbors and friends to join us for this fun community event benefiting WSHS.
Learn more and REGISTER NOW:
The tournament is set for all day June 1 on the courts west of Southwest Pool.
6:46 PM: If sunset whale-watching (from shore, of course) sounds good, you’re in luck tonight – with more than an hour and a half of daylight left, orcas are off Alki right now, reports Kersti Muul – headed southwest, off the Bathhouse (60th/Alki). Let us know if you see them!
6:48 PM: They’re moving fast, Kersti says – now reported around Alki Point and off Constellation Park.
6:13 PM: We’re in The Junction tonight as the May 2025 West Seattle Art Walk enters its second hour:
Artist Nalisha Estrellas is at Compass Real Estate-West Seattle (4531 California SW) tonight, doing some live painting. We mentioned her most recently as she’s the artist for the project to paint a mural on the long concrete retaining wall by the shore at Emma Schmitz Memorial Overlook. … A bit further up the same block, CAPERS Home (4525 California SW; WSB sponsor) is hosting artists from the West Seattle Garden Tour competition, including Memo Luna:
And Stacey Almgren:
Most Art Walk receptions continue until 8 pm (see all your options here). Right now, though, a special feature this month – 11 mini-concerts comprising Muse Fest: The Power of Women’s Voices, concurrently until 7:45, so we’re headed off to record a musician or two!
6:40 PM: We hopped a block south to listen to Havilah Rand at Great American Diner & Bar:
She’s playing all originals. Her venue is at 4752 California SW. We’re still in The Junction and off to check out another Muse Fest performance.
7:31 PM: That’s Champagne Honeybee, the Muse Fest performer at Darby Winery tonight. … And a reader report from Kate, with an artist who’s at West Seattle Arcade in Alki tonight:
An art walk update from Alki! Drew Mortenson’s art is so fun in the West Seattle Arcade!
Save the second Thursday of EVERY month for the West Seattle Art Walk! But also remember that many artists’ work is up all month long at the venues where they’re featured tonight, so you still have many chances to get out and enjoy local art.
Time for another quick look ahead to West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day (570+ registered sales) this Saturday! More photos from sellers, showing their spotlight items:
That’s “a Western show saddle with hand-carved leather and sterling silver accents” and it will be at Sale #279. Or how about a classic camera?
You’ll find that “Leica IIIf camera with several lenses” at Sale #133. And from Sale #416:
That’s an “authentic Chanel Handbag in mint condition ~ box, dust jacket & original price tag included.”
Treasures (a word used in 21 sale descriptions) abound, with more than 570 registered sales – moving sales, cleanout sales, estate sales, more. Ready to plan your stops? Here’s the online map; here’s the printable list/guide. And a couple more quick notes:
STILL LOOKING FOR SOMEPLACE TO SELL? We’re still hearing from people who missed registration (we can’t add sales after it closes). If you don’t have a ton of stuff, check if these multi-seller sites still have space.
CHECK THE MAP BEFORE YOU SHOP: Reminder that the map page here on WSB is where we’re noting last-minute changes (such as canceled sales, which we cannot change in the printable list but do mark in the online list, and mini-lists of sale types), so check there before you head out on Saturday!
STAMP OUT HUNGER ON SATURDAY: Another reminder – before shopping or selling on Saturday, if you can, set out a bag of nonperishable food for your postal carrier to pick up as part of the Stamp Out Hunger food drive (you might have already received a bag in your mailbox/slot – that’s a photo of ours above – but if not, any bag will do).
Still more previews to come! Official sale hours are 9 am-3 pm Saturday, but some are adding extra hours and/or extra days – check the sale descriptions.
(WSB file photo)
Just under one month until West Seattle hosts the city’s only obstacle-course 5K (you can run/walk it without obstacles, too), Loop the ‘Lupe! It’s four events in one at Walt Hundley Playfield on Saturday, June 7, benefiting the community/social work of nearby Our Lady of Guadalupe. You can enter the obstacle-course 5K, the fun run, the Youth Dash, or the Senior Saunter. Organizer Brian Callanan says one incentive for signing up now is that they’re about a week away from putting in their T-shirt order, and you’re guaranteed to get the size you want if you’re registered by then. A second reason to sign up ASAP if you haven’t already – there are still spots in the bonus Penalty-Kick Shootout for entrants 18+: everyone who enters the shootout ($25, while tickets last) gets free tickets to a West Seattle Junction FC or Rhodies FC match (players will be there for a 1:30 pm exposition match before the 2 pm shootout). The shootout winner gets “a special West Seattle soccer prize pack!” Here’s where to register.
From the “in case you wondered too” file: Dave emailed to ask what happened to the on-street bike rack on the northwest corner of California/Oregon, by Dumplings of Fury and its north neighbors. He used it to park on Sunday, April 27, but found the rack missing this past Sunday. Our photo from yesterday shows the bicycle marking on the street but the rack (and other infrastructure) missing; here’s what it looked like in a 2023 Google Street View image:
First we asked the West Seattle Junction Association if they were aware of the removal. They weren’t. So we then asked SDOT, which is accountable for installing and maintaining these racks; spokesperson Mariam Ali checked around and then replied to us Tuesday, “Thanks for bringing this to our attention. We didn’t remove the bike rack at the northwest corner of SW Oregon and California SW, and we’re not sure what happened to it. Our crews will install a replacement.”
However, when we took a closer look at the scene Wednesday before writing the story, we thought there had to be more to it – couldn’t have been a metal theft, as the wheel stops and bollard were gone too. So we asked SDOT about it again, wondering if they had cross-referenced all the permit filings in the area, etc. That turned out to be the key, said spokesperson Ali:
After receiving your follow-up question, I connected with another team we hadn’t checked with earlier and confirmed that the bike rack was removed as part of the construction project at 4448 California Ave SW to accommodate traffic rerouting in their traffic control plan. Once construction is complete and they’ve completed any restoration work, they’ll reinstall the bike rack at the same location.
Concurrent with that update from SDOT, WSJA told us they’d just received the same explanation. So bottom line: The bike rack on the northwest corner of California/Oregon was removed as part of the mixed-use project on the northeast corner (background is in our coverage of its groundbreaking), but will be reinstalled when construction is complete (expected next year).
Thanks to the three readers who sent photos and info about three Lincoln Park sightings, starting with tree trouble:
Huge fallen oak tree limb on the north stairs at Lincoln Park, the ones that were recently closed for the stair maintenance
From another reader, this sighting of what appears to be a poisonous weed:
Sharing a safety alert: there is a lot of poison hemlock growing in Lincoln Park between the south playfield and south restroom. The one by the restroom (NW corner) would be especially easy for a small child or a dog to snag a piece of and eat. The bigger patch (south of field, north of the concrete) is also very exposed. I’ve alerted Parks and King County noxious weeds department but unsure how quickly these will be addressed so thought you may want to post a warning.
Here’s a closer look at, and more information about, this plant.
Finally, from Dawn, who spotted this on the shore:
Panels coming down at Colman.
As we reported a month ago, Saturday is the first preseason-weekend day for the only city-owned outdoor salt-water swimming facility, Colman Pool, but you’ll see activity there tomorrow too (Friday, May 9, 6:20 pm) as the West Seattle Water Polo team hosts a home game!
We start the Thursday highlight list with the West Seattle Art Walk, 5-8 pm tonight (with some venue variations) – locations and artists previewed here, and here’s the full list:
Here’s our preview published last night, including this: During tonight’s Art Walk, 6-7:45 pm, 11 locations host musical performances as part of the mini-festival Muse Fest: The Power of Women’s Voices, free admission everywhere:
Here’s what else is happening, mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
SOUTH SEATTLE COLLEGE GARDEN CENTER: Spring planting season continues. The center is open Thursdays-Saturdays 10 am-3 pm, north end of the South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor) campus.
PRESCHOOL STORY TIME: 10:30 am at West Seattle (Admiral) Library (2306 42nd SW).
WEST SEATTLE UKULELE PLAYERS: All levels welcome to this weekly 1 pm gathering. Email westseattleukuleleplayerswsup@gmail.com to get the latest on where they’re playing today.
DROP-IN CHESS: 4-5:30 pm at High Point Library (3411 SW Raymond), youth up to 18 years old are invited to drop in and play.
HPCS FOOD-TRUCK VISIT: First of three regular Thursday night events tonight here – every Thursday, 4-8 pm, Highland Park Corner Store (7789 Highland Park Way SW) gets a food-truck visit. Tonight it’s Stanford’s.
WINE TASTING WITH CLARK: This is also a regular Thursday event at HPCS, 5-7:30 pm – info here.
HIGHLAND PARK RUN CLUB: Last but never least, HPCS is the starting point tonight for running 3 miles, or walking a shorter path, in the neighborhood near HPCS with the Run Club, leaving from the store at 6:30 pm, returning for beverages – info here.
VISCON CELLARS: This West Seattle winery’s friendly tasting room/wine bar is open Thursdays, 5-9 pm (5910 California SW; WSB sponsor). Stop in for wine by the glass or bottle! The tasting room is a West Seattle Art Walk stop, too.
WORDS, WRITERS, SOUTHWEST STORIES: 6 pm online, the Southwest Seattle Historical Society‘s monthly speaker program focuses on a company you might know:
Join Mama Lil’ Peppers Founder, Howard Lev, and Seattle Times Now & Then Columnist, Jean Sherrard, for a spicy take on starting a small business.
Lev will share his rollicking tale of failure and — ultimately — success as he built his pepper business, wedding his mother’s family recipe to the Hungarian Goat-horn peppers of Yakima Valley. Lev and Sherrard will share videos, discuss Lev’s book A Pepper for Your Thoughts, and even prepare snacks with his famous Mama’s Lil’ Peppers.
Register here to get the link.
WESTIES RUN CLUB: This group’s 6 pm weekly Thursday run departs from The Good Society in Admiral (California/Lander).
WALKING FOR WELL-BEING: More into walking than running? Meet at 6 pm at 47th/Fauntleroy for tonight’s group walk – details in our calendar listing.
LIVE MUSIC IN THE JUNCTION: 6-9 pm, Patrick Rifflin performs Thursdays at Pegasus Pizza in The Junction (4520 California SW).
DUSTY THURSDAYS: 6 pm at Tim’s Tavern (98th/16th, White Center). From West Seattle’s own Billy Joe Huels:
Dusty Thursdays concert series is returning at Tim’s Tavern 6-9 pm on the outdoor stage. Each week we will feature a top local band (most hailing from West Seattle) followed by The Dusty 45s. It’s free, all-ages and everyone is welcome!
Featured tonight – The Evanstones.
SPORTS: 7 pm, Chief Sealth IHS takes on Cleveland in a postseason baseball game at Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex (2801 SW Thistle).
TRIVIA: 7 pm at Burger Planet, hosted by Good Old-Fashioned Local Trivia (9614 14th SW).
DJ NIGHT: The weekend starts spinning early at Revelry Room (4547 California SW), with DJ Supreme La Rock, starting at 7 pm.
BEDTIME STORIES FOR GROWN-UPS: Come tell a story at Mr. B’s Mead Center, or just listen to others tell theirs! 7:30 pm, free admission. (9444 Delridge Way SW)
Are you planning an event that should be on our calendar and in our daily preview lists? Please email info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Story and photos by Tracy Burrows
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Last night at Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex (NCSWAC), the West Seattle High School softball team took on top-ranked Ballard High School in the Metro 3A League tournament. Ballard lived up to its ranking, quickly going on a scoring spree that was topped off by a 2-run home run that cleared the fence. The Beavers led by a score of 10-0 after 3 innings,
But the Wildcats, whose team motto “Boogie with a Suitcase” captures their irrepressible spirit, never gave up. Coach Kyler Tsukada urged the girls to keep their energy up, forget about the score, and just work on getting one run at a time. The Wildcats broke through with 3 runs in the fifth inning, powered by a triple from Molly Lefkowitz.
The girls kept it going in the 7th inning, putting together a fierce rally, including a double by Julia Herron. But the Wildcats came up short, losing by a score of 11-6.
Pitcher Daeja Piggee went the distance for the Wildcats, bouncing back after being hit by a fastball pitch to the ankle.
After the game, Coach Kyler praised the team for their competitive drive and for showing that they can hang with any team they come up against. The team’s next game is on Friday at 1:30 pm versus Seattle Prep at NCSWAC.
8:58 AM: Thanks to the person who just called to report an incident blocking the left lane of the eastbound high bridge approaching I-5, saying it’s “not super-obvious until you come up on it” and that it’s backing up traffic.
Earlier:
6:00 AM: Good morning! Welcome to Thursday, May 8, 2025.
WEATHER + SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES
Mostly sunny, high in the low 60s. Today’s sunrise was at 5:40 am; sunset will be at 8:31 pm.
ROAD WORK
-Street work for the Alki Standby Generator Project is under way – details and map here, along with what’s next after this first phase.
-The Admiral Way Bridge’s outside lane on the eastbound/southbound side is still closed; here’s a project update.
TRANSIT TODAY
Water Taxi – Regular West Seattle service; spring/summer schedule, with later-evening sailings Fridays and Saturdays.
Metro buses – Regular schedule.
Washington State Ferries – Regular service on the Triangle Route, with M/V Kittitas and M/V Cathlamet, plus M/V Salish is serving as the “bonus boat”. P.S. Next round of community meetings – online, systemwide – have been announced for later this month.
SPOTLIGHT TRAFFIC CAMERAS
High Bridge – Here’s the main camera, followed by the Fauntleroy-end camera:
Spokane Street Viaduct:
Low Bridge – Looking west:
1st Avenue South Bridge:
Delridge cameras: In addition to the one below (Delridge/Genesee), cameras are also at Delridge/Juneau, Delridge/Henderson, Delridge/Oregon, and video-only (so you have to go to the map), Delridge/Holden and Delridge/Thistle.
MORE TRAFFIC CAMS: All functioning traffic cams citywide are here (including links to live video for most); for a quick scan of West Seattle and vicinity-relevant cameras, see this WSB page.
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(WSB photos/video)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
One of the speakers at The Center for Active Living‘s fundraising breakfast served up one word that you can use to beat stress.
The entire event, in fact, could have been characterized as stress relief of a sort – the more money the center raises, the less it has to worry about how it’ll continue being able to pay for the many programs and services it offers as “The Center of It All,” the theme of this year’s event, held Tuesday morning at Alki Masonic Center in The Junction.
Last year’s breakfast event introduced the former Senior Center’s new name, better reflecting its status as a hub of community connection for people of all ages. Since then, executive director Amy Lee Derenthal told the 200 attendees Tuesday morning, the center’s serving more people now than ever in its 50-year history – 1,500+ members, three times what it had in 2021, ages from late 20s to 100. The center has added new programs – totaling more than 50 programs each week. The center feeds people via community dining and Margie’s Cafe, and delivers 400 meals “to home-bound folks” every month. With the help of volunteers, they offer tech navigation, make home visits via Westside Friends, and staff the Stop & Shop on the center’s lower level. Plus their staff includes two social workers; their work includes running support groups that regularly serve more than 100 people.
“As a small community-based nonprofit, we’re constantly stretching our budget to meet our needs,” Derenthal explained. It’s challenging, but it’s “my dream job,” she said, her voice cracking with emotion just a bit. Here’s everything she told the crowd:
She’s not the only one for which the Center for Active Living work fulfills dreams of making a difference in others’ livesi. “It’s nice to be involved with people helping other people,” said a center volunteer/member in this new video debuted at the breakfast.
Donors experienced fulfillment too, including board member Emily Austin, who spoke about her reasons for giving.
She talked about growing up in family circumstances that led her to gravitate toward older adults, even when she was a kid. She got involved with the center after moving here in 2011. Then in 2022,she joined its board, learning about the “bravery and courage” it takes to operate a nonprofit. “We need the center to thrive fir years to come,” she said, imploring attendees to help make that possible with their gifts.
The center’s work provides everything from classes to meals to social events and group gatherings. Attendees got to sample some of those offerings – like the ukulele group:
And pianist extraordinaire Larry Knapp, who leads the lineup on Jazz Nights at the center:
Not much for music? How about movement?
Denise Geroux was onstage to demonstrate some of what she teaches at the center, focusing on “body awareness … learning how to support yourself through your skeleton …” That’s what she says we should be focused on, not just our muscles.
And then came the “stress magic” we mentioned at the start of this story. Dat Tran, stress-mastery coach, showed how the word “extraordinary” can help you conquer stress:
“Instead of focusing on lowering your stress or taking on less stress, focus on feeling extraordinary,” he advised.
Many in the room had reasons to do exactly that, emcee Ryan Sheaffer suggested, opening the morning with a round of acknowledgments, particularly for the volunteers. And he energetically led a round of live-donating – you could even contribute via text! – getting the center close to its $75,000 goal.
“Your support supports the physical, mental, emotional wellbeing of this community,” said board president Stephanie Bruno in closing. “I got involved because I first thought this woud be a great place for my grandmother .. then I realized it was a great place for me.”
HOW YOU CAN HELP: We followed up with executive director Derenthal today. She says, “Thank you to everyone who donated. We are close to our $75,000 goal. Help us cross the finish line by making a donation! Gifts $500+ are matched thanks to a generous donation from Nucor.” The donation link is here.
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